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9.05.2013

Instagram Travel: A Look at The Umstead Spa in Cary, N.C.

Pure relaxation and luxury is about 15-minutes from my doorsteps, and it comes in the form of the prestigious Leading Hotel of the World, The Umstead Hotel and Spa. It's a five star, five-diamond heaven, and my visit to the spa is my focus for this week's Instagram Travel Thursday.

After an extensive renovation, The Umstead Hotel and Spa debuted an 18,000 square-feet, two-level spa haven this summer.

Photography is not allowed in the spa in order to maintain guest privacy plus I believe guests really need to stay off their mobile devices in order to get the total benefit of relaxation during their time in this tranquil sanctuary. Just so you know though, I did not sneak these photos. I was fortunate to get a private tour when I first arrived at the hotel. I was also given special permission to post a few photos to Instagram like this one while sitting in the garden before meeting my massage therapist for a Swedish massage.

Some spa guests I spoke to while we were in the ladies changing lounge wondered why the spa needed renovations because it looked absolutely perfect before the new look. Five-star hotels typically have beautiful spas, and this spa was no exception. These new renovations are less about the need for new decor, but more about enhancing guest services with added space and treatments.

The spa added a fourth pedicure chair as well as additional treatment rooms. There is a ladies lounge, a couple's lounge, and two brand new couple's treatment rooms, which are absolutely gorgeous with its own whirlpool. There is a sauna, a steam room, an indoor whirlpool, and an outdoor whirlpool. The beautiful meditation garden transports your busy mind to another place, and it is a great place to read with a cup of herbal tea.

The Umstead Spa does a fabulous job of bringing soothing elements of nature to restore your mind, body, and spirit into the common areas of spa. This is evident in the cool and earth tones in the lounges and treatment areas. With natural lighting, you also get the serenity and feel of an outdoor shower in luxury.

I had a 50-minute Swedish massage with therapist, Christopher. I was extremely impressed with his services, and highly recommend this treatment. It was my first-time having warm, basalt stones as part of a massage. The stones aid in relaxation, and are just a small part of this massage, but it was such a good experience that it now has me curious to try a hot stone massage. A Swedish massage treatment begins at $120. A couple's massage begins at $240.

I told my husband that all my spa gift certificates now have to come from the Umstead. It was that wonderful. As a day spa guest, you can relax in the spa area for as long as you wish.

Want to Go:The Umstead Spa100 Woodland Pond DriveCary, N.C.919-447-4170.If you are a blogger, link up with us. Take a look at the link-up rules below before linking, and please link back to a host so others can find everyone's links.

Here are the Linky rules:Link to a new Instagram travel post and use the permalink of your post, not the homepage URL.Only new posts from the week of the linky and no giveaways, other linkys or sales pitches.No links to your Instagram profile, only links to your blog.Link back to one of the Instagram Travel Thursday hosts.Visit a few other posts in the linky and show them some love (comment, tweet, Pin etc.).Links that do not follow the guidelines will be removed.

The Instagram Travel Thursday linky is posted on Thursdays at 1AM EST and the linky is open until the following Wednesday.